After scalding, but before plucking, put the ducks in a feed bag or something similar. Wrap them up and let them steam for a few minutes. That makes them easier to pluck.
I hated butchering ducks. They seemed to be too stiff to dunk properly and they were waterproof. After I processed 6...
I never got as far as calculating freezer space. Where the heck would you stash 100 birds after butchering, to wait out their rigor mortis? I use a barn fridge that is completely empty. It's hard to fit 50 birds in there. You'd need 2 empty fridges to store 100 birds.
I don't use a...
25 is a manageable number. That's what I started with. After you've processed 25 you'll be able to judge better if that's a good number for you or if you feel like you could handle more. You can always do another batch in the fall. I like to do a batch in spring and again in fall. I feel...
Yes. It was a lot of work. Mostly the eviscerating since we had state of the art equipment to do the scalding and plucking. You're standing on your feet for a lot of hours doing exacting work. It's uses a lot of focused mental energy and stamina. My back felt like hamburger by the end of...
Is this your first time, or have you raised and processed a batch of meat birds before? 100 is an awful lot of birds. I sure wouldn't make it my first experience.
Another option might be to call your local extension service and ask the livestock agent about splitting an order. Mine orders...